Awaken
by evgrrl09
Summary: Elle, a dark fairy, curses baby Jennifer Jareau to die on her 26th birthday and her protectors alter the curse so that instead of dying, she falls into a deep sleep that only true love's kiss can wake her from. When she meets Aaron Hotchner, he may be the only one who can break her curse. AU retelling of Sleeping Beauty. JJ/Hotch. ***AS OF 10/25/13 THIS STORY IS ON HIATUS.***
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I own nada.**

**So here's the Sleeping Beauty retelling starring JJ and Hotch that I promised! I hope you like it...I tried to modernize it as much as possible, so unfortunately that means there might not be a dragon...I haven't decided yet. I also aged JJ to be older than 16 cuz I thought that would be a little weird if Hotch were too much older than her. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy it and PLEASE REVIEW!**

_1987_

"Well, this is where the girl who is truly beautiful and kind lives," the fairy Penelope murmured, straightening her royal blue cocktail dress. She looked around at the fancy tidings of the Jareaus' large mansion.

Her sister fairy, Emily nodded and took a sip of her wine. "I would have to agree. But at least she'll grow up happily."

"Maybe she won't," their sister, Alex said.

"Well, if she's the true kindness in this world, then she'll grow up to be...well, what she's destined to be," Derek, a wizard said, coming up behind Penelope and handing her a glass of wine. She smiled coyly at him and he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Thank you, my knight in shining armor," she purred.

Spencer, Derek's fellow wizard came up behind them alongside the whole group's mentor, David and rolled his eyes. "Really, since our beginning five hundred years ago, the two of you have been absolutely revolting to be around. In love, but an enormous pain," he muttered.

"Eh, give them a break, Spencer," Emily griped. "They're in love...somewhat like the way you are with Maeve."

Spencer immediately blushed at the mention of the fairy Maeve's name. She was assigned to a different job, but that didn't stop them from being together every chance they could be.

"Aha," Alex laughed. "Look at the blushing wizard!"

"You all need to settle down and focus on the real reason we're here," David said sternly. "We're here to bless the purest human that will walk this planet for the first time in a century, not enjoy ourselves and engage in the merriment. Believe me, you all are lucky enough to have the opportunity to watch over Jennifer. The Council was planning on sending another team. Luckily, they listened to me. I told them you all may act like a bunch of children, but you were the most competent to help this child."

"Pfft," Penelope said. "We're the best. They would have sent us in the end."

"Spoil our fun, why don't you," Emily said, rolling her eyes.

He nodded, but grinned anyway. "That's my job...along with helping humans and teaching you lot to do the proper jobs."

Suddenly the clinking of glass could be heard and they all turned through the crowd to face Mr. and Mrs. Jareau. In Mr. Jareau's arms was a small pink bundle. They both smiled widely. "Welcome everyone!" Mrs. Jareau said. "Welcome to our home where we are introducing to you all our new born child, Jennifer." She looked over at her child and smiled. "We thank you for coming and wanted to let you know that your support for our daughter is greatly appreciated. And now, please enjoy. If you wish to see Jennifer, we will be sitting over here."

The crowd returned to their mingling and small talk, while the group of immortals sprang into action. "Well, it's time to get to work. We've got some blessings to bestow," Penelope said excitedly. "This one is going to be -"

"Oh, I wouldn't get to excited yet."

Every one of them turned around to face Elle, the fairies' fourth sister. A long time ago, many centuries to be exact, Elle had been one of them. She cast spells for good and helped make the world beautiful. However, once she began dabbling in the darkest magic imaginable, she became drunk with power and was eventually lost to them. Now she was a rogue, going around, casting evil magic upon anyone she met and anyone who tried to stop her.

"Elle," Alex said bitterly in greeting.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?" Derek demanded.

"What he said," Penelope growled.

Elle looked at them and snickered. "So you two are still madly in love, I see," she said. "God, you're nauseating."

David glared at her. "Love is the most magical power there is," he said. "But I guess you've forgotten that whilst dabbling in dark magic. If I were you, I would seriously sort out your priorities."

"My priority is to end the _purest_ of hearts," she spat. "Someone so perfect is an abomination."

"Wanting to _destroy_ something so pure is an abomination," Emily said in a low voice.

Elle smiled wickedly. "It's too late," she said. "The curse has been cast. I weaved it before I came to see you all."

"What did you do?" Reid demanded.

"I cast a curse that _nothing_ can save her from," she said. "On the day of her twenty sixth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and die. And there is absolutely nothing you can do to stop this magic. It's the darkest curse I've mastered."

Penelope gasped. "Elle, how could you! You -"

"It's too late," she cackled. "The purest and kindest will die and all the love in the world won't be able to save her. I hope you take this as a sign that not everything can be solved with true love." She pouted her lip mockingly. "Sorry everyone. Hate to rain on your parade."

Derek strode forward and glowered at her. "You have just done the unspeakable!"

"Down boy," she hissed. "I won't hesitate to do the same thing to you...if I had the chance of course. You are a wizard, after all."

"We _will_ undo what you have done!" Emily growled lowly. "That's a promise."

"One you won't be able to make happen." Then, with a wicked laugh, Elle disappeared in a cloud of dark smoke.

The group looked at each other with panic. "We have to do something," Blake said hurriedly. "There has to be something."

"Let me think," David said, putting both hands on his temples. "There's got -" He snapped his fingers, an idea coming to him. He turned to the three fairies. "Emily, Penelope, Alex...can you create a spell that will alter the curse? If it's as strong as Elle says it is, we won't be able to completely stop it from happening, but maybe we can have it so Jennifer doesn't have to die."

Penelope nodded and looked to her sisters. "I think we can manage that." She nodded, tears in her eyes. "We can save the purest of all humans."

XXXXX

After the party had ended, the group of them met up in front of their cars. David looked to the fairies. "What were you able to do?" he asked softly.

They were silent for a moment, but then Alex answered, "We managed to do something that will save her...at least until someone who loves her kisses her."

Derek raised a brow. "What did you do to her?"

"Instead of dying, she will fall into a deep sleep that only true love's kiss will wake her from," Emily answered softly, tears glistening on the surface of her eyes. "What are we going to do, David?"

David was silent. They all were. Thinking of the fate of Jennifer if she should fall under the spell was holding all their tongues. He sighed finally. "We watch over her and when the time is right, we try and stop her from pricking her finger. We'll save her. It's the only thing we can do in order to maintain her purity."

"We'll do whatever it takes," Reid said, looking between his fellow team. They all nodded in agreement. "We swear we'll protect her."

"I know you will," David said, clapping them all on the back.

**So here's the first part of Awaken! I hope you like it :)**


	2. JJ Finds Tommy

**Disclaimer: I am not the proud owner of Criminal Minds. Cuz if I was, I would get to meet Kirsten Vangsness. Alas, I have not done this.**

**Hey, so I'm glad you guys seem to like it so far. It might be a little different from my Morgan and Garcia fics, seeing as I've never done a JJ/Hotch one. We'll see how it goes. Thank you so, so much for your reviews and feedback and I hope you like this round!**

**As always, PLEASE REVIEW!**

_1993_

Elle sat in her fancy apartment and observed the dark portal in front of her that she used as a mirror to watch any person in the world. And right now she was using it to observe Jennifer Jareau. The girl, the purest of souls, was six years old now. She was cute as all get out. Her honey blonde hair was worn in pigtails currently and she was dressed in a pink jumper. She was now six years old and the apple of everyones' eye. Her smile filled people with joy and warmed hearts. Her voice was like a twinkling bell that they wanted to hear for the rest of eternity.

She scoffed and waved her hand in front of her, dissipating the portal so that it went up in a cloud of dark smoke and eventually to nothing. She rose from her chair and went to the bar in her apartment to mix a drink. The girl had a mere twenty years left before her curse was complete. Angrily, her mind shot to how her sisters had foiled her plan to kill the girl. Instead, she was in a deep sleep that no one could save for her true love could save her from. In her mind, true love didn't exist. As a young fairy growing up she believed in the sickening thing known as love. She had watched her sister, Penelope fall madly in love with the wizard, Derek. She had watched her former mentor, David fall in love with Erin, another mentor.

But it had never come to her. The only thing she found that she truly loved was her magic. The darkness brought her calm, stability. She could always count on it to keep her company. It would never leave her. It would never abandon her.

People left; magic was forever.

She made it her goal to take away everything good in the world. And Jennifer Jareau, being the kindest, most innocent human being to walk the earth in over a century was a good way to stop the light.

If only she could keep her pesky sisters and their fellow band of immortal fighters from getting in her way.

XXXXX

"She's growing up so fast," Emily said fondly, observing Jennifer, fondly called JJ by her friends, loved ones, and family. She was at a park, swinging on the swing set with a friend of hers. Emily and her sisters were sitting on a park bench, keeping an eye on her like they had promised David six years ago. They and Spencer and Derek made it their goal and number one priority to keep watch over the girl and keep Elle at bay.

So far, in the six years since she had cast her terrible curse, they had yet to see her in the flesh. In fact, there was no trace of her anywhere. Her dark magic kept her from being detected by the power of good magic and she managed to stay hidden.

Alex nodded and smiled. "She certainly is," she said. "She's growing up to be quite the little cutie."

"Ah, yes," Penelope said smugly. "Just like me."

Emily whacked her arm playfully. "Vain much, Penelope?" Her sister just smiled in return.

They were silent for a moment and watched as JJ jumped off the swings and made her way towards the slide. She waved her friend over to come join her. She jumped up and climbed the ladder that led her to the top of the slide. With a giggle of joy, she slid down it and raised her hands in victory when she reached the bottom. Her friend followed suit.

"How could Elle possibly want to eradicate something so pure?" Alex sighed. "She brings so much light to the world."

"She's controlled by dark magic now," Penelope said bitterly. "What else should we expect? She chose this, she chose to abandon the light."

"I still don't understand why she turned. Why would she just turn her back on us, on Good?" Emily said softly. Though their sister had gone evil and was dead set on destroying any part of good magic, they missed her; she was family after all. They had been trained together, raised together. There were some bonds that could not be broken, and blood was one of them.

After three centuries of being consumed by the vengeful rage of the dark magic though, they knew there was no hope for bringing her back. She was too far gone.

"I would love to have a baby of my own," Penelope mused. "Right now though, JJ is too important."

Alex patted her shoulder. "Maybe one day," she murmured.

They turned their attention to JJ again and watched as her mother called her over for them to leave. As the little girl left with her mother, the three fairies stayed put on the bench. Their hearts all ached in their chests. JJ wasn't their own child, but they loved her like she was. They were her protectors, after all.

"Guys, how are we going to protect her from a spinning wheel?" Emily asked after several minutes of silence. It was a question that was weighing on their minds. "I mean, spotting a spinning wheel these days wouldn't be too hard, seeing as they're not exactly as common as they used to be. But who knows where Elle could be hiding it. Maybe she's stashed it somewhere in the Jareaus' home?"

Penelope shook her head. "I don't think she would," she said. "Elle is too big on theatrics for that to be where she puts it. My guess is it will be somewhere more...extravagant."

Alex nodded in agreement. "I think Penelope is right," she said. "It's going to be a show for her. It has to be. It's like she gets off on it."

"Pfft," Emily snorted. "It's the _only_ thing she gets off on."

Penelope couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled out of her mouth. "Hehe. Very funny!"

"What's so funny?" Spencer asked, Derek and he coming up behind the bench with two cup carriers of coffee.

"Just a joke," Emily responded simply. She accepted the cup of coffee Spencer handed to her and took a sip. She nodded appreciatively. "Man, this shit is good," she drawled. "Wish we had this back home."

"Alas," Alex said, sipping her own latte. "They don't. We'll survive."

"Maybe you will," Derek grunted, sitting down on the ground beside where Penelope was sitting. He leaned his head against her thigh. She put a hand on his head and then dropped a kiss on it. "But I love this stuff. Never want to go without it again. You know, this human stuff isn't that bad. And I especially like that round thing we've been eating for the last few years...it's really good, I can't remember the name of it."

"You're thinking of pizza, my love," Penelope confirmed. "And you're right. That stuff _is _good."

Spencer frowned. "Where did JJ go?" he asked.

"She left," Alex said. "Sandy took her home."

"And still no sign of Elle, right?" he continued.

"Still been six years since we last saw her," Penelope said dryly. "We're still musing about how to find her spinning wheel. Have you been able to discover anything, Spence? You're the team scholar, after all."

He shook his head. "I'm keeping track of finding any dark magic in the area, but so far nothing yet," he said. "If she's in the area, she's keeping quiet and not using magic."

"She's not in the area then," Emily said. "It wouldn't happen. She's addicted to magic."

"Expand the radius of the search then," Derek said, sipping his coffee. "Or contact David. Find out if he can do anything. Maybe he can convince Erin to get more people looking for Elle while we focus on keeping JJ safe."

Alex shook her head. "Do you honestly think _Erin_ would help out? She's so difficult to work with. Let's face it...we're on our own."

"What about Maeve?" Penelope asked, focussing her attention on Spencer.

He nodded. "It's possible," he pondered aloud. "We should still talk to David though. He _is_ the wizard we report to."

"Agreed," Derek said. "And we should do it sooner rather than later."

XXXXX

"JJ!"

Little Jennifer Jareau looked up from her coloring book on the living room floor. Rising to her feet, she went in the direction of her mother's voice. She found Sandy in the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mommy?" she said with a smile.

Sandy looked at her with her a stern scold. She pointed to a small bowl of milk right outside the sliding glass door that led to their patio. Immediately JJ knew what she was talking about.

"Jennifer, what did I tell you about feeding that cat that's been hanging around outside?" she said in a scolding tone.

JJ looked down at the floor. "You told me not to feed him," she said quietly.

"And what did you do?"

"I - I fed him," she admitted. Looking back up with desperate eyes, she added, "But Mommy, he was hungry! I couldn't let him starve. I even gave him a name. His name is Tommy. Please don't make me get rid of him!"

Sandy shook her head. "You know you're not allowed to have any pets, JJ," she said.

Fat tears filled JJ's eyes and she nodded. "I know, but I didn't want him to be hungry," she blubbered. "And he's just a kitten. He's really little, like me and he doesn't have a mommy like I do and -"

Shaking her head, Sandy sighed. "Alright, JJ," she began. "You can keep Tommy. But you have to take care of him. That means feeding him, cleaning up his litter box. And you have to do it by yourself. Do you understand?"

Immediately the tears dried up and she smiled brightly. "Thank you, Mommy!" she cried, jumping up and down. "I'll take the best care of him ever!" As if he had heard her call his name, Tommy, a small black and white kitten showed up at the door and began meowing. His eyes looked straight in, as if he was looking for JJ specifically. She skipped towards the door and opened it, picking up the small kitten and cuddling him towards her chest. Tommy began to purr and licked her cheek. "I will take the best care of him in the whole world! No cat is going to be more loved than him!"

"You make sure you take good care of him," Sandy said, heading out of the room. "I'll go tell Maria that she needs to get a litter box and some kitten food."

JJ began to stroke the fur on Tommy's back and murmured, "We're going to be bestest friends!" Then she hugged him tightly to her chest and kissed the top of his head.

**Hope you like this chapter! We're going to follow JJ's growth for one more chapter, the story will start getting to the more romancy parts :) Bossman is coming!**


	3. Once Upon A Frat Party

**Disclaimer: None of this do I own.**

**I appreciate your reviews, guys! I hope you're enjoying this story...PLEASE REVIEW if you have the time :)**

_2003_

"JJ, hurry up!"

JJ looked up from digging through her jewelry box at her best friend, Bella and gave her a wry smile. "Patience is a virtue, dearie," she clucked. She picked up a pair of earrings and inserted them into her ears. "You act like this is the first rager you've ever gone to. It's not like we'll be late for anything." Her cat, Tommy jumped up on her dresser and rubbed his tail against her arm. She grinned at him and cooed, "Auntie Bella is so silly, isn't she Tommy?" She giggled as her cat began to purr. Ever since she had found him outside in her backyard ten years ago, she had loved him. He followed her everywhere in the house, trailing after her like a duckling would its mother.

Bella stuck her tongue out. "Yeah, well you're taking too long and I don't want to be around when your mom gets home and sees you're not here."

"Relax," JJ said. "She's not going to be home for hours. Giving me a few minutes to put on some jewelry isn't going to kill you." She winked. "And I don't think Andy will care to much that you're not there _right_ on time."

Rolling her eyes, Bella whined, "_Come on_, Jayje! I wanna get wasted!"

Partying, especially wild frat keggers, was not JJ's cup of tea. However, Bella loved it more than anything. So out of loyalty to her friend and desire to see her alive in the morning, JJ signed on as her designated driver. At most she would have one beer. She didn't really know why she and Bella were such good friends. They were complete opposites, Bella preferring the company of random strangers and mass amounts of alcohol. JJ herself was more docile, quiet tempered. She tried to stay out of the way of as many people as possible. How the two of them were as close as they were was a scientific oddity.

But she was glad for her friend. They were as close as two girls could be.

Standing up straighter, she smoothed her hair and kissed the top of Tommy's soft head. "Bye, Tommy!" she said before grabbing her friend's arm and pulling her towards the door. "Alright, oh impatient one! Let's get going!"

"Yeah!" Bella cried happily, taking the lead and dragging JJ towards her car.

XXXXX

"She's going out again," Penelope said to her fellow immortals. "Two of us need to go out while the rest of us get some sleep."

For the past decade the fairies and the wizards had spent their time watching over JJ and searching for Elle. So far the only luck they were having was with the former. Elle had remained hidden, not showing her face or leaving a trace, even through magic. It was as if she had vanished from the face of the Earth. But for now that meant that JJ was safe...at least for the moment.

"Is she going out with Bella?" Spencer asked warily.

Penelope nodded. "Yeah," she said. "She is. And they're going to a frat party so we have to keep a closer eye on her than usual. Things can get pretty rough with those college boys."

"Alex and I will go," Emily said, raising a hand in the air. "We'll keep track of her and make sure she stays out of trouble."

Spencer sighed. "Keep an eye on Bella, too. I worry about JJ when she spends time with her. She's unstable."

"But she's her best friend," Penelope pointed out. "She's not going to abandon her simply because they're not mirror images of one another. And Bella would never let any harm come to her either. She'll be fine. It's other people I worry about. They could take advantage of her and her natural instinct to trust someone."

Alex and Emily nodded, sliding jackets on. "We'll get going then," Emily said. "We'll make sure we're invisible. Don't worry. She'll be safe."

XXXXX

JJ and Bella arrived at the frat party around eleven in the evening and the party was in full swing. The smell of beer assaulted JJ's nose and she had to resist the urge to gag. The music was so loud her ear drums were vibrating. It was terrible. Bella was smiling widely though. It was clear she was excited for the party. JJ, on the other hand, grimaced. "Oh god," she muttered. Though she said it aloud, no one heard her over the music.

Bella motioned towards the beer table and the two of them headed over to get drinks. At the table, they were given drinks by two frat members, one of whom winked at JJ. She couldn't help but feel like he was a complete creeper. She nodded to him and turned away from him. God, she felt so out of place here. How did she let herself get roped into this? It was impossible to figure out in the overly loud din of the music. And it wasn't good music either. It was a lame Britney Spears song and she couldn't figure out why the damn thing was being played.

Britney was just plain awful.

She rolled her eyes. Behind her someone put their hand on the small of her back and she turned around abruptly, spilling some of her beer in the process. Her eyes went wide. A handsome blonde man was smiling drunkenly at her. "Hey baby," he slurred.

She smiled tightly, uncomfortably. "Er, hi," she said awkwardly.

He shook his head, not able to hear her over the music.

"Hi!" she yelled.

He nodded and took her beer, setting both his and her cups on a nearby table. Grabbing her hands, he started to lead her towards the dance floor. Panic began to set in and she yanked her hands back, shaking her head in the process. "No!" she hollered. "I don't dance!"

He frowned and he rolled his eyes, retrieving his beer and stalking off. JJ couldn't suppress her shudder. Yeah. She definitely could not figure out why she had come to this party. If it weren't for Bella, she most definitely would not have.

Trying to find a spot where she could remain invisible, she went towards a side door that would lead to the porch. It was winter time, so no one would be outside at the moment. They would stay inside where the warmth was. Sighing, she held her arms around herself and closed her eyes a moment. The cold wasn't affecting her as much as it should have. In fact, she relished the frigid temperature.

Suddenly though, she heard the sound of a panicked girl.

"Don't! Please!"

A very clearly drunk voice spoke next. "Oh, c'mon sweet thing! You know you want this!"

The girl began to cry. "No, just leave me alone!"

JJ immediately started down the stairs and into the snow blanketed ground. She followed the direction of the voices. Her pace increased to a jog and eventually she found the source of the voices. A large, muscular boy was pushing a petite brunette girl up against the wall. He was sopping drunk.

Angrily, JJ stormed forward. "Hey!" she bellowed. "Get off of her!" Both heads turned in her direction and she started to run forward.

The boy backed away and laughed. "Oh, it would seem I have a willing lady who would like to join us," he snickered.

"Leave her alone," JJ hissed defiantly, trying to shield the girl from whoever the man trying to attack her was.

"Why should I?" He laughed. "Would you like to take her place?"

She sneered. "No, you drunk idiot," she hissed. "I want you to go sober up and think about your pig like behavior." She looked at the girl who was frozen in place and nodded for her to take off. For a moment she stood in place, wondering if she should stay or not. But JJ nodded again and she took off at a run. JJ could only pray that she would get help.

"That sounds like a 'yes' to me," he said, moving forward to her and pushing her roughly against the house wall.

JJ tried to push back against him, but it was no use; he was too strong. But just as she was about to scream, an invisible force shot the man backward and he hit the ground with a thud. She looked around wildly for the source of the force, but there was nothing or no one to be found. So instead of sticking around, she jogged away from the boy and back into the house to grab Bella and get the hell out.

And if her friend tried to protest because they had been there barely an hour, she would drag her by her hoop earrings to get out of there.

XXXXX

After tossing the asshole around who dared lay a hand on JJ, he ran off, leaving Emily and Alex fuming. "I wish I knew where that bastard lives," Emily growled. "I'd give him a tail and he would have no way to remove it. Even scissors wouldn't be able to cut through it, and _certainly_ not surgery and all the procedures that have been created recently."

Alex nodded in agreement. "And I would love to do the same," she said. "The look on his face was priceless, though. Satisfying to say the least." She wiped her forehead and looked in the direction JJ had taken off. "We had better follow her, Em," she added.

Emily nodded in agreement. "Let's go then," she said.

XXXXX

Aaron Hotchner, known to his buddies in his fraternity as 'Hotch,' was sitting with three of his friends on in the attic of the frat house. They were all laughing, needing time away from the quiet to just chat and get drunk in an environment away from the rest of their house. In the center of their circle was a small oil lamp and the ground was covered in scattered beer bottles.

"Seriously, though," his friend Zac said drunkenly. "I'm so glad to be done with Lila. She was such a bitch to me, cheating on me with that douchebag on the basketball team. I'm so done with her!"

Aaron nodded. "Good for you, man," he slurred. "You're better than her." He tipped his head back and took another swig from his beer. Returning his gaze towards his friends, he added, "What's your ideal woman, guys? You know, like what do you _need_ in a woman to love her?"

"Good tits," Brandon, a freshman in college, said with a snort.

This didn't surprise Aaron; Brandon was kind of a pig. A good drinking buddy, but a pig towards women nonetheless. He snorted. "Typical." He looked towards their third companion, Jeff. "Jeff?"

"Huhz?" Jeff slurred, looking up with glazed over eyes.

"Your ideal lady? What do you look for?"

He was so wasted, any answer he would give would be complete nonsense, but Aaron thought he would ask anyway. "Ima lookin' for a lady with nice taste...an in-independent girl who's _awesome_!"

Aaron smirked. That was more of an answer than he thought he would get. He nodded. At least it was better than Brandon's ideal girl.

"Whadda bout you, Hotch?" Jeff slurred. "Waz _your_ ideal lady?"

Aaron took a longer drink of his beer before responding. "My idea would probably be...someone who's kind and gentle. Someone who would love me as much as I love her. And she would have to care unconditionally about others."

"You'll never find someone that perfect," Zac scoffed.

Aaron sighed. He could dream, he guessed. Maybe one day he would find his ideal girl. But that day was not this day. She would come into her life. He knew she would.

He had already met her in his dream.

**Okay, so that last sentence is my lame attempt at fitting the "Once Upon A Dream" song in. It sounds pretty cheesy :-/**


	4. A Lead

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**So here's the fourth chapter of this one. Sorry it's been so long since I updated it. We've got another jump through time for this. But I hope you enjoy this chapter. JJ finally gets to interact with her guardian fairies!**

_Ten Years Later - JJ's 26th Birthday In 6 Months_

Penelope opened the door to the house she shared with Derek and the rest of her family. On the porch of their Edwardian style house were Erin, the leader of their order, David, and Maeve, the fairy who had been helping them try to locate Reid.

At least Spencer would be happy now.

But them being there was slightly concerning. Whatever had brought them here must be extremely important to have drawn them out in full force. This couldn't be good. It led her to think that maybe some sign of Elle had shown up.

"Hello, everyone," she said. She raised an eyebrow. "Not that I'm not happy to see you all, but for you all to be here at once doesn't spell out anything good."

Erin shook her head. "No," she said. "It isn't good, as you've already pointed out."

"There's been a spike in dark magic," Maeve said softly, concern covering her sweet face. "It's incredibly strong. Which means only one thing..."

Penelope's face went pale. "Oh, God," she said. "Elle." She opened the door wider and pulled them along. "Come in! We have to talk about this. Luckily, we're all here." She closed the door behind them and gesture for them to follow her to the basement where they would go down to the basement, their base of operation that contained all their magic items. The room had everyone in it, and they all stood swiftly; Strauss required all their respect, even if she could be a raging bitch sometimes.

Spencer went straight to Maeve's side. He took her hand gently. "Maeve, you look pale!"

She touched his cheek. "We've got more important things to discuss," she said.

"Everyone, sit," David said, motioning for them to all take their seats at the round table they all had meetings at. "This involves -"

Emily's hand rubbed her temple. "It's Elle," she said. It wasn't a guess. She knew how her sister operated well enough. "She's come back finally."

"Yes," Erin confirmed. "And as the curse nears with everyday, she's making preparations. We're looking for her spinning wheel she plans to use, but we have no idea where it is so far. She's doing a remarkable job of hiding."

Derek snorted. "It's always been her specialty, the devious snake."

"We're doing everything we can," Maeve said, "but it's not enough yet."

David sighed. "How is the protection of the pure human coming along? You're doing the job you were assigned?"

"Yeah," Blake said. "She should be getting here soon."

Erin cocked a brow. "You've befriended your charge?"

"It's the best way to keep an eye on her," Penelope said, holding Derek's hand. "Ever since Bella moved for her job, she's needed friends. And we love her...as if she were our own child." A forlorn look covered her face. She was still in desperate want of a baby of her and Derek's own. However, the Order had yet to give her permission. They controlled her and every other supernatural beings activities.

David looked to Erin. "And I okayed it, Erin," he said. "It's a good thing for her. And it allows these hooligans to do their job." He jerked his thumb in the direction of the whole group. Emily and Alex merely scowled at him, Spencer looked confused, and Derek and Penelope pursed their lips.

How kind of their mentor to stand up for them.

"Well, then," Erin said, "I see no problem with you befriending her. Just be sure to keep everything hidden. I don't want her coming down here to discover there's something magical in her friends' basement." She frowned when the bell rang upstairs.

Alex perked up. "It sounds like our guest is here," she said.

XXXXX

JJ stood on the porch outside the house where several of her friends lived. She checked her watch, then glanced through the window to see if she could see anyone moving around. She thought she was on time.

Her friends that lived together were somewhat...odd. All of them were a tad eccentric, and she still didn't quite understand why they all lived under one roof together, but she enjoyed spending time with them all.

Knocking a few times, she waited until Emily came and opened the door. Emily had been the first of the group she'd met and she was easily one of the greatest people to have a drink with. She was a local bartender, and had taught JJ all sorts of drinking games. They'd met one night while JJ was having a rough night after a bad break up with a boyfriend.

From then on, frequent bar goers and close friends of Emily had continued to stream in, namely her sisters, Penelope and Alex, and two men, Penelope's husband, Derek, and Spencer.

Penelope was a computer analyst at a security firm while Derek was a private investigator with Spencer. Alex was a teacher at an online school.

How they all lived together was baffling to JJ.

JJ's life had changed so much since moving out of home. She was now working a successful job as a museum curator, she had a nice apartment, her childhood cat was living an unnaturally long life. But there were things severely missing from her life. She was alone after her boyfriend of three years dumped her, her parents still tended to treat her like a child, and almost anyone she ever met left her or walked all over her.

As Bella articulately put it, she was "too nice."

But these people, they treated her almost like family. She didn't quite understand why they were so enthusiastic to spend time with her, but she was grateful. When she was feeling alone, she just called upon one of her friends and they were right there for her, no matter what.

"JJ!" Emily said, opening the door wider. "Come in, come in!"

JJ smiled. "Hey, Em," she said, setting her bag down on the nearest surface. She smiled. "How are you?"

"Fine," she said, pulling her into a hug. "We were just waiting for you to get here...we're thinking Chinese tonight. How does that sound to you? We can go to the bar when my shift starts."

"Sounds good to me," she said, giving her the thumbs up. As she was about to speak again, the rest of the gang, followed by three people JJ had never seen.

Penelope's face brightened instantly and she broke out of Derek's grasp to wrap JJ in a hug. "JJ!" she cried happily.

JJ inhaled the scent of her friend's hair and squeezed her back. "Hey, Penelope," she said. She got the impression that Penelope was particularly attached to her, but she didn't know why. All of them seemed to be that way around her. At first it made her curious, but then she just accepted it and basked in the feel of friendship. "Em says we're thinking Chinese tonight."

"We should hit up the bar afterwards, too," Derek said, coming up behind his wife and putting his hand on the small of her back. A cough broke out behind him and Penelope. Derek rolled his eyes and JJ had to suppress a giggle. Whoever the source of the cough was, they clearly were the cause of some problems for the group.

Alex came up and put her hand on the back of the older gentleman. "JJ, this is David Rossi and his girlfriend, Erin. And that is -"

"This is Maeve," Spencer said proudly, putting his arm around the petite brunette standing beside her. "She's my girlfriend from...out of town." He smiled widely and Maeve blushed red to her ears.

JJ extended her hand to each of them. Again, she felt like she was being observed as if she were familiar to them all. She smiled sweetly and said, "It's great to meet you all.

Are you coming with us to get dinner and drinks?"

The man, David, shook his head. "No," he said. "We've got other things to do tonight, but we're very happy to meet you too. We've heard...much about you." He smiled and his glittering eyes twinkled as he winked at her. She got the feeling this man knew her from somewhere, but it didn't see likely. He had a face that she was sure she'd remember.

"Actually," Maeve said softly, raising a hand in the air. "I'm coming out with you guys tonight." She looked at Spencer and smiled. "I've got some time, so I'm staying with Spencer for a little while today."

JJ beamed at how happy Spencer looked. He was socially awkward most of the time, but with this girl he looked truly happy. For some reason, instead of feeling jealous and resentful of people who had love, she just felt happy that other people had love. Most days, she felt alone, but at least her friends had someone they loved. Loneliness didn't entirely bother her, as long as people like Penelope and Derek and Spencer had people they loved.

"Well, it was great to meet you," the woman named Erin said. She dragged David forward by the arm and out the door without another word.

JJ blinked a few times, slightly confused by that woman's attitude. Had she said something wrong?

"Ignore them," Derek said with a roll of his eyes. "They're weird."

JJ nodded hesitantly. Forcing a smile, she shook her head. "Ah, it's okay," she said, waving off the concern. "It's no big deal."

"I am _so_ ready for some food!" Penelope chirped, coming back into the room from the kitchen. "I haven't eaten all day in preparation for it!" Seeing JJ's frown, she

XXXXX

Aaron sat at the bar with a glass of whiskey in his hands. He was sick and tired of girls leaving him and making him feel like crap. The one girl he had been in love with, Haley Brooks had been murdered their senior year of high school and afterwards he had stuck to dating only every once in a while.

Thank God he was set on having a job in the FBI. There would be little time for women then.

"Can I get you anything else?" the raven haired bartender asked, leaning over as she wiped down the bar with her rag. "Another beer maybe?"

He looked up at her and shook his head. "No," he said gravely. "But I would like a shot."

The bartender winked. "Of course," she said. She went beneath the bar and pulled out a bottle of tequila and a shot glass. "Here you go." She set the glass down and nodded. "You enjoy that."

He nodded simply and took the glass, staring at the deep amber liquid. Looking back up, he noticed a blonde across the bar, chatting with both the bartender and a group of people. She had honey blonde hair that glowed beneath the light of the bar and sparkling blue eyes that glittered when she spoke. Her head fell backwards as she laughed, exposing her swan-like neck. She was breathtaking, like looking at the mist rising above a field of grass in the morning.

But her beautiful appearance didn't have anywhere near the effect on him that the look they shared did. From across the bar their eyes met, and all of the sudden something sparked in him. It was a warm, comforting feeling that made him feel light and heavenly. Their gazes held and he felt his breath catch in his chest.

What was going on?

Their eyes broke apart far too soon. She returned to looking at her friends, and it was as if nothing had happened. Even though the moment was over, the feel of her innocent eyes haunted him. There was something about this girl that was...different. She didn't look like she would trample anyone's heart. Hell, she didn't look like she could squash a fly.

Aaron sighed and shook his head. He just needed to get his head out of his ass. He didn't need women. He just needed to drink his shot and forget about women.


	5. Call Me JJ

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Chapter 5! Lots of JJ/Hotch interaction...finally :) Thank you for the feedback, and PLEASE REVIEW, MY FRIENDS!**

JJ couldn't help but think of the dark haired man across the bar from her. He looked a few years older than her, but more sexy than any man her age. His dark eyes struck a chord in her, and it was so powerful that she had to force herself to look away before it scalded her. However, she couldn't stop herself from stealing glances at him. That was how much she liked the sight of him.

"Jayje?"

Blinking several times, she looked to Alex, who had just called her name out. "Er, yeah?"

Alex's eyes twinkled at the next moment. "I asked you if you've got anything going on at the museum coming up?" she asked. "But based on the look in your eyes and the distracted behavior you're exhibiting, it seems like you've got something else on your mind other than simple work issues."

Spencer leaned forward. "Do explain," he persisted.

JJ sighed. "It's nothing really," she said, flagging Emily down. "Hey, Em...could I get another glass of Pinot?" She held up her empty glass and wiggled it around. "I'm dry over here."

Emily nodded and smiled. "Coming up, sweetie," she said.

"She's changing the subject," Derek noted, putting his arm around Penelope's shoulders. "It's gotta be something with a man." He grinned and looked at his wife. "I remember how it was when I first met this girl here. We were so afraid to talk to each other it's not even funny!"

Penelope grinned and pecked him on the lips before returning her gaze to JJ. "So...tell us _everything_!" she said excitedly, leaning forward on her bar stool to observe JJ even closer.

Smiling slightly, she shook her head and looked down at the glass Emily had just placed in front of her. Nervously, her eyes flicked to the man across the bar again. "I don't actually know him," she admitted. "He's sitting across the bar from us."

All of them, save for Reid and Maeve who were too involved with each other, turned their heads to see who exactly they were dealing with.

"Well, don't look!" JJ hissed, forcing them all to look away.

"Ooh, he's sexy," Alex said, looking back at JJ and grinning. "He looks like a powerful type of guy. You gonna go say hi?"

Emily leaned over and nodded excitedly. "Jayje, you have to say hi! He's looking at you like he wants you to."

Biting her lip, she said, "Do you really think I should? The last time I tried to talk to a guy, he ended up throwing up all over my shoes."

Penelope nodded vigorously. "Go! Go forth and make conversation!"

Derek and Alex grinned. "Talk to him," Derek urged, nudging her in the shoulder.

Taking a swallow of her wine, she nodded. "Okay," she said. "I'll give it a shot." Rising to her feet, she started away from her group and towards the dark-haired stranger.

XXXXX

"Look at our girl go!" Penelope said excitedly, nudging Alex and Derek in their sides.

Alex glanced sideways at her sister and scowled. "Not so hard," she scolded. But smiling, she leaned in and laid her head on her sister's shoulder and added, "But your enthusiasm is contagious."

XXXXX

Aaron watched as the blonde across the bar he'd made eye contact with started for him, very clearly encouraged by the group of people she was with. The two women that weren't behind the bar were grinning widely, neither of them bothering to hide their obvious joy at their friend speaking to him. He watched as the woman came over and pointed to the empty barstool next to him.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked shyly.

He looked into her sky blue eyes and shook his head. "No," he said simply.

"May I sit then?" she asked, a slight blush lighting up her cheeks.

Aaron was stunned into silence. What was someone like her doing talking to someone like him? This woman was clearly beautiful and could have any guy she set her eyes on, but she was choosing to talk to him, the lonely, solitary brooder. But though she looked much like the girls in his high school who waltzed all over everyone, this girl, whoever she may be, seemed like the kindest human being he'd ever met. She practically secreted it from her pores.

Clearing his throat, he nodded, gesturing to the seat. "No, it's all your's," he said dumbly.

She smiled and sat, crossing her legs and putting her hands neatly on her lap. Not only was she kind, but she had an air of innocence to her, like she wouldn't know what to do when confronted with something dark, such as the crimes he was going to deal with when he got into the FBI. He was still observing her as she stuck out her hand and murmured, "My name's Jennifer...Jennifer Jareau."

He shook her hand. "I'm Aaron," he said. "Hotchner."

"It's nice to meet you," she said with a soft smile. They sat in silence for a few minutes, but she added, "You new in town? I don't think I've ever seen you around here before?"

Cocking an eyebrow at her, he asked, "Is this 'your' bar?"

"I wouldn't say it's my bar, but I do hang out here, a lot," she explained. "My friend Emily is the bar tender. My group and I hang out here a lot."

He nodded. "I gathered that," he said. "And no, I'm not new in town. I was just looking for some place different than where my usual crowd hangs out. Needed a little alone time."

She tilted her head to the side and asked, "What's your usual crowd like?"

He snorted. "The typical type of college guy pack," he said. "If you know anything about that anyway."

"Yeah," she laughed. "I know a little about it. My friend, Bella used to drag me along to frat parties all the time."

"Is your friend Bella over there?" he asked, nodding his head in the direction of her group.

She shook her head. "No," she said, waving her hand in the air. "Bella moved away for work a little while ago. Those are friends I met around the time she left."

"They seem like an..." His voice trailed off as he observed the group of them. They didn't seem exactly...normal. For one, they couldn't keep ridiculous grins off their faces. They were also blatantly staring at them as they spoke. Something told him they were a little lacking in normal social skills. "_Interesting_ group," he finished, sipping his drink.

She laughed. "Sorry about them," she said. "They're not exactly normal. But I love them."

Smiling, Aaron said, "It's okay. My friends are all a little...off as well."

She smiled. "So, Aaron, what do you do for a job?"

He finished off his drink and set the glass back down on the bar. "I'm in law enforcement," he said. "I'm getting into the FBI."

She stared at him in silence for a moment before nodding once. "You're...okay, I can take a hint," she said. "I'll just -"

Frowning, he shook his head and laughed. Good lord, the girl thought he was lying. "No, no! I'm serious," he said. "I really am joining the FBI." He dug in his briefcase next to him in the other barstool and pulled out his acceptance letter. Her eyes grew wide and she looked back up at him. "See? Joining the FBI."

A shy blush crept up her cheeks and she stammered, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just, when guys say that, it usually is a lie..."

"It's okay," he said in understanding. Smiling softly, he aded, "Can I - can I buy you a drink?" He watched her rapidly blinking eyes and realized she was confused by why he was asking to buy her a drink. Looking at Jennifer Jareau, he got the distinct impression that she wasn't very sure of herself with men. She clearly had confidence in her professional life - she dressed well, she was intelligent, and had friends - but when it came to men, he saw that she was nervous. Someone had hurt her...badly. Why, he would never understand. Jennifer Jareau was something else.

Aaron didn't normally think the best of someone right off the bat, but she was different.

So he was going to explain to her why he wanted to buy her a drink.

"I'm asking you because I think you're someone I would like to get to know," he explained. "You seem...interesting." He said the last sentence with a smile.

For a moment, Jennifer stared at him. Then she nodded and smiled softly. "Okay," she said. "That would be nice, Aaron."

He flagged down the bartender to order their drinks, then turned to her and added with a wink, "You can call me Hotch."

Her smile grew in size and she said, "Well, in that case, call me JJ."


	6. Call Me Later

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**Thank you for the reviews :) Here's the next one!**

"So what made you think law enforcement?" JJ asked Hotch as the two of them sat talking. They'd been sitting together for over an hour, just getting to know each other and enjoying each other's company. So far she was really liking Hotch. He was really sweet and listened. He was a little intense and didn't smile much, but nevertheless, he spoke with her, unlike her previous boyfriend. She sipped her drink and waited for him to answer.

He sipped his own beer and set the bottle back on the bar. "The idea of helping people was really appealing to me," he said. "I want to stop criminals. It's kind of how I feel connected to something bigger than myself." He fixed her with a scrutinizing gaze. "And you? What pulled you to museum curation?"

"I like working with objects from the past," she explained. "Something about looking backwards just makes me...I don't know, it's my way of figuring out how to move on with the future."

"You're a smart lady, JJ," he said. "Sounds like you've got a lot of deep thoughts."

She blushed. "Well, I _did_ go to Georgetown," she admitted.

He tilted his head to the side and observed her face. Moving his hand towards her face, he moved a strand of hair from her face. Her eyes were wide when he did it, and he gulped. Maybe he shouldn't have done that. He didn't want to seem like he was trying to make a move on her. She didn't seem like that type of girl, the kind who would sleep with a guy on the first date. Not that he wanted to sleep with her tonight. Hell, it wasn't even a date. They were just two people having a drink together.

"Sorry about that," he said. "It was just in your face and I thought I would -"

She laughed. "Don't even worry about it," she said. "It just surprised me, that's all."

Aaron watched as she glanced down at her watch and roll her eyes. "Well, it's one in the morning now," she said. "I've got to get going. I've got be to work at seven tomorrow." Rising to his feet, Aaron held out his hand and helped her down off her bar stool seat. She accepted his offer and hopped down.

For a moment they just looked at each other, their gazes holding in an intense way. He never wanted to stop looking into her blue eyes that were bluer than even the Caribbean waters. He tilted his head to the side and coughed momentarily.

"So, JJ," he started. "Can I - can I call you sometime, maybe meet up with you for dinner?"

A smile spread across her face. "That would be nice," she said. She pulled out her phone and handed it to him. "Here, put your number in it."

He nodded. "Okay." He began typing his number in. As he was doing it, the blonde and the brunette woman showed up behind her.

"Hi there!" the blonde chirped.

Aaron looked at her and waved slightly, giving her a small smile. "Hi," he replied.

JJ put her hands on her friends' shoulders. "Aaron, this is Penelope," she said, motioning to the blonde. "And this is Alex. Guys, this is Aaron." Derek, Spencer, and Maeve showed up behind all of them and she pointed to them. "This is Derek, Penelope's husband."

Derek nodded to him and wrapped his arms around his wife from behind. "Nice to meet you, Aaron," he said.

JJ smirked at Derek's display of affection. Derek and Penelope had a tendency to be heavy on the public displays of affection. Pointing at Spencer and Maeve, she said, "And this is Spencer and his girlfriend, Maeve."

Maeve smiled sweetly and Spencer nodded to him.

"It's nice to meet you," the woman named Alex said, giving him a smile.

Penelope nodded and grinned. It was clear to Aaron she was the most cheery of the group. "Yes, very nice to meet you!"

JJ glanced at both of them nervously and said, "Well, ladies it's about time for us to go home. I don't know about you, but I have work first thing." Looking at Aaron one more time, she smiled and added, "Bye, Hotch. I'll give you a call."

And then he watched as she exited the bar with her friends, and out of his sight. For some reason, he missed her - and her beautiful blue eyes - already.

XXXXX

"He's cuter up close!" Penelope cooed as they were in the car, driving JJ back to her apartment. "I'm so happy that you're going to go out with him, Jayje! He seems like a good guy."

Alex nodded in agreement. "A little intense," she said. "But good. I wish Em was here to give her opinion, but she had to close up the bar."

JJ smiled at Penelope and Alex's enthusiasm. It was funny how excited they were getting over just a single meeting with a man.

Then again, Penelope believed everyone had a chance at happiness. It was one of the things JJ loved about her friend; she was uncommonly kind. She didn't know many people quite like her. And her style of dress wasn't the only thing that made her eccentric.

"I'm pretty excited," she admitted, hoping to appease her friends.

"He seems pretty cool," Derek said from the driver's seat. "Any idea what you guys will do for a date?"

She shook her head. "No idea yet," she said. "But he's in law enforcement. And he's smart. And he listens. Even my work seemed to intrigue him." A huge grin had unconsciously spread across her face. Yeah, it was fair to say she was smitten...and she'd only just met the guy.

"Well, it looks like we've arrived, Miss Jareau," Spencer said grandly as they pulled up in front of JJ's apartment building.

Waving, she said, "Bye then, guys! I'll call you tomorrow."

"Call Aaron first!" Alex said happily.

JJ snorted and closed the door to the SUV that the group drove. Yawning, she made her way up the steps leading to the door of her apartment building. She went down the hallway and unlocked the door, going in and throwing her keys onto the table next to the door. She sighed. She had to get some sleep before going to work in the morning. A load of items from the Industrial period of Britain was coming in and she had to appear presentable and lucid for the meeting with the people bringing them in.

But even as she was dressing in her pajamas and getting under the covers, she continued to think of Aaron Hotchner. She couldn't get his handsome features out of her mind. Sure, he hadn't smiled much, but he had been interested in what she had to say. He hadn't brushed her off, and he seemed as interested in her as she had been in him.

Sighing, she closed her eyes and let herself drift off into sleep, hoping she would dream of Aaron.

XXXXX

Elle was pacing in her home, angry at what she had seen in her most recent surveillance on Jennifer, the purest human. Her sisters and their idiot wizards had started pushing the human towards dating and so far she had yet to find one that suited her. But this new man, this _Aaron Hotchner_, had excited her.

And each new man in her life was a possible true love, a possible candidate to break the spell when her twenty-sixth birthday. A possible candidate to spoil Elle's plans to keep her asleep forever.

She clenched her hands into fists and glared at her reflection in the mirror. She had to eliminate the very idea that love or true kindness existed in humans. Darkness ruled her now and she needed to remain steadfast on her path to corrupt humans.

It was what she lived for.

**Another very short one.**


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